Beaufort Creek Shifters (10 book series)
The Wolf’s Forced Mate Chapter 4

Leah

A boarding house was not my idea of a good time.

While I had pleaded with Blake to allow me to stay with Brandi, he insisted that I needed to meet the other people in the community, especially the new ones who had joined in my absence.

"Besides," the alpha had said in a much lower voice, "I think it would be far safer for you and Inez to be around more people, okay?"

His concern was appreciated.

But annoying all the same.

How was I supposed to get proper sleep when I had to share a hallway with five other shifters? Especially when they were choosing to huddle together in the upstairs living space in front of the television.

A green-haired bird shifter waved Inez and me into the room.

Was it creepy of me to stand outside and stare? Because that was what I was doing. My face heated up I'd bet that I looked like a radish as I stepped tentatively into the room.

The bird shifter had a lip ring and enough tattoos to impress a circus performer. Another friendly wave. A smile. A pat on the empty carpet with a ring-speckled hand. "Hey, I'm Lenny and my pronouns are they/them. You can join us."

"Hi, Lenny." I bowed my head, feeling odd for stepping near their watching space. "I'm not made of glass, so.."

Lenny cackled. "My mother used to say that too. Sit with us!"

"Well, Inez needs to calm down before bed, I guess..."

I hesitantly placed my toddler on the ground.

....And watched as she zipped off toward the green-haired beauty squawking with cackles. The two of them folded together as if they had been friends for the longest time. As sweet as it was to see, I wasn't sure how comfortable I should be getting in this room. What about the other four shifters?

Lenny cleared their throat. "Alright, friends. We have some new ones here. Be nice, alright? Names and pronouns all around." Lenny held up a remote and muted the television. Groans erupted. "The quicker you make it, the faster we can get back to House and his spectacular abs."

More heat flooded my face. I was interrupting.

This was just too embarrassing for me.

The four shifters on the couch all turned to me in unison. One had black hair with black eyes, one had reddish-blonde hair and freckles like a strawberry shortcake doll, and the other two sported matching brown curls with green eyes. Each one was a different shade of the earth-hues ranging from sandy tan to rich soil brown-reminding me of the world beyond these walls.

The black-haired beauty with black eyes sniffed, observing me with a beady gaze. "Jack, a pleasure. He/him, please." He fluttered in his sandy yellow skin as if shaking out feathers.

I had to assume he was a crow.

Strawberry Shortcake leaned forward with a dazzling grin. "Robin, she/they." She reminded me of freshly tilled soil with a bluish sheen. Her freckles were as bright as miniature suns and her reddish-blonde hair curled around her face, framing it. "And yes, my name matches my form."

"Amazing," I whispered.

"We're panthers," the other two spoke together.

The one on the right ran delicate fingers through long curls. They both resembled tan meadow fields. "Shelley, she/her. This is my brother, Kyle. No pronouns."

Kyle punched the couch. "Stop speaking for me!"

"You're my twin-"

"I'm a whole year older than you, Shells. You don't speak for me-!"

Shelley snorted. "You can hardly speak for yourself."

"I just don't know what I am yet, okay?"

Lenny beamed. "And that's okay. Remember, Shelley?"

"I remember," Shelley sighed. "Just wish Kyle would make up whatever mind is in there."

I tried not to laugh. This was much more interesting than I'd thought it would be.

Lenny waved me toward where they were sitting with my daughter. "Come on. I don't bite. Or peck."

Jack sniffed indignantly. "Only at your food."

Lenny rolled their eyes. "And I'm sure your meat doesn't like to suffer while you're picking through your feathers like an ancient aristocrat."

"Whatever, Len."

Lenny grinned at me. "Don't mind him. He's just up past his bedtime."

Awkward was hardly the right word. I felt so...disconnected. What had become of my pack while I was away? Where had these shifters come from? Was I spoiled by being around wolves all the time? Perhaps I had returned with too closed a mind.

But Inez seemed happy. She was already holding Lenny's hand.

Lenny unmuted the television and leaned toward me to whisper, "It's cool. You don't have to be comfortable yet."

"Are you always like this?"

"Insufferably so," Jack commented.

Lenny smacked Jack on the leg. The oof that erupted from Jack seemed less from pain and more from his pride getting wounded.

"Really, don't mind him," Lenny whispered. "You'll get the hang of being here."

"I'm only here for the-"

They nodded. "The night. We know. You're doing the ritual in the morning, right?"

"At dawn."

"What a time to be awake."

I chuckled under my breath. "Aren't you a bird?"

"I'm the sleepiest of birds."

That made me chuckle a little louder. Some of my muscles unwound, tension trickling from my shoulders and arms. They were putting me in a better mood than I'd been in in a long time. "I wish I could sleep in." "Well, if you want a nap, we can watch the gremlin."

"She's a wolf."

Lenny laughed. "Sorry, I was just teasing. I know she's a wolf. I can tell by her scent."

"Oh, I see." I looked away. This was still awkward as hell. "We might call it an early night."

"You're always welcome here. I mean that."

The gods were kind to offer this welcome party, however strange it appeared. Public humiliation aside, I was glad I'd come back when I did.

I mean, it wasn't like we had much of a choice, did we?

Edward had left us high and dry. His disappearance was a mystery to me in the same way that shifters enjoyed any type of human television drama. They were entertaining enough, but I could never quite relate to the characters. Especially not this eccentric drug addict.

I sighed, wrapping my arm around Inez. It was nice to have a break and let the walls drop for a moment. Hopping from one motel to another had me paranoid since there wasn't much space for either of us to shift and run. My inner animal longed to roam the woods in the surrounding area. The salty air called to me. The sand begged for the impression of my paws. The cliffs made me yearn to howl above the rugged waves crashing below. And Inez would see it all. As young a pup as she was, she was remarkably coordinated and fit to interact with the others.

Or so I thought.

Anxiety drifted to the front of my mind.

What if Tanner rejects me again?

Though our opposition was mutual, there was always the possibility of him calling everything off. He had the weight to do it. His mother and grandmother were well-established elders of the pack. Their opinion would be met with some questioning, sure, but it wouldn't be denied.

That left me on the outskirts. Easily.

But Blake seemed to be adamant about Inez and I receiving protection.

Even from a perceived mate bond.

My brows furrowed together. I hope it works. Maybe the perception will be enough to keep us from being targeted.

Love didn't need to be involved in this bond. All it needed was the proper respect-and herbs. It had been hard to talk to Tanner about who would perform the ritual considering his mother wasn't a fan of mine. But his grandmother agreed to the process rather quickly.

Angel probably just didn't want to hear us argue again, I reasoned. I didn't want to hear us argue either.

The show on television ended. Lenny stood up with a yawn and urged me to follow them. I scooped up a sleepy Inez and wandered after the bird of paradise, noticing the way their hair sprouted in various directions.

They paused next to the only room with an open door. "Ta-da! It ain't much, but it's yours for the night."

A cot was set up next to a bed with a simple dresser in the corner. The open window overlooked the square near the neighborhood. It would be a noisy morning, but that meant we would be awake on time.

For a mating ritual.

That probably wouldn't work.

I sighed. "Thanks, Lenny. I appreciate it."

"Don't worry, Leah," they assured. "I've seen many mate bonds happen when it seemed like everything was working against it. You're not the first chosen bond."

I forced a smile. "That's kind of you to say, but he-" I cut myself short. "Well, it's not important."

"No, it's definitely important if it's bothering you."

They ran off and returned in a few moments with a lawn chair. They set it up in the room and plopped onto it with their feet tucked under them.

They beamed. "I'm all ears."

"Let me tuck Inez in. She gets cranky when it gets past her bedtime."

They nodded with the most understanding expression. Having their patience meant everything to me. It made my heart crack in two to realize that my walk of shame through pack lands earlier hadn't been met with judgment at all. It was purely curiosity. A tear rolled down my cheek. I swiped it away quickly and focused on Inez. I kissed her forehead after tucking her under the sheets.

Inez pointed to her bag. "Book."

Without hesitation, I grabbed the science book from her bag. The tattered thing was falling apart at the seams, but she refused to let it go. Once it was under her arm, she snuggled into the sheets and released a contented sigh. Lenny raised their nearly nonexistent eyebrows. "Dang, I wish I could sleep anywhere like that."

I dimmed the lights. "Yeah, she gets it from me. I'm used to..." I worriedly scratched my head. "I'm used to being on the run."

"What's got you worried about the ritual?"

I scrubbed my arm. "Tanner rejected me about three or four years ago. We were supposed to be mates then too."

They frowned sympathetically. "Oh, dear. I see why you're so worried. I would be too, if that happened to me." They paused for a beat. "Any reason why?"

"I couldn't have kids...at the time." I bowed my head. "Inez was a miracle. I have no idea how I got pregnant with Edward, but I did."

"Oh, dear."

I sighed. "Yeah, it's stupid."

"Honey, it's not stupid at all. You didn't even do anything wrong. He's the jerk for rejecting you."

"He wanted his own kids."

Lenny rolled their eyes. "Tough shit." They whispered the curse word as low as possible. "That just sounds like a crybaby to me."

A smile curved my lips. "Thank you for saying so."

"All those boys are crybabies if you ask me. Elva was having problems with one of them too."

"Elva? Why does that name sound familiar?"

They scratched their chin. "Well, if you were here years ago, you probably saw that explosive argument between Elva and that aggressive security guy."

"Security guy?" I thought back to the meeting. "Oh, you mean Jermaine?"

"Yep, that's the one. Those two have been clawing each other's eyes out since..." Lenny's eyes widened. "Jesus, since they were both kids. But I swear, they're totally in love."

I chuckled lightly, being mindful of my sleeping daughter. "Because they always argue? That's a horrible way to indicate love."

"I think opposites can attract. It's like Jacky and me."

My right eyebrow arched. "You and Jack are mates?"

"I think so. He thinks...less of me."

"But you two seem so-"

"Opposite?" They laughed. "Indeed. But if you really look at him, he likes all that teasing. It's his way of showing affection."

I shook my head. "I don't know. Tanner seems to really hate me."

"You won't know until you bite him."

If my eyes had expanded any wider, they might have rolled from my skull. "Bite him?"

"Yeah, you two should be exchanging bites either before-" They checked my neck. "Which hasn't happened. So, it should be after."

"Oh, dear."

They chuckled. "Did you forget?"

No, it wasn't that.

It was the way heat had slithered down to my slit and made my entire core burn like a volcano. Just from the thought of Tanner and I exchanging bites.

That was unacceptable. There was no way I would enjoy something like that.

"I think I should get to bed," I lied. "I mean, I should get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a big day."

Lenny smiled apologetically. "I'll be in the crowd supporting your happiness, Leah."

They quietly walked to the door.

I stood abruptly with my hands pressed firmly together. "Hey, thanks. I mean..." I glanced at Inez. "You really made us feel welcome. It's been a long time and I just-"

They held up a hand while wearing a friendly grin. "Don't even mention it. Just pay it forward, friend." They slowly shut the door behind them.

In the silence of the boarding room, I felt the intensity of my future weighing me to the bed. The lawn chair was abandoned, and part of the plastic slats was impressed where Lenny had once sat. Their words about how opposites were attracted to each other circulated in my mind.

Impossible. Improbable. Unrealistic.

Tanner and I weren't just opposites. We practically hated each other.

And for good reason too.

Well, I had a good reason. He had a stupid one. Lenny had been right about that-Tanner was just a crybaby who had thrown a tantrum because he hadn't gotten what he wanted.

But if that was the case, then why did I look forward to the morning?

And why was I seeing his face every time I closed my eyes?